Improved elastic trace-connection



- HJ Quinn. y Elastic Tace Connection. y Y

No' 93639' l Patint-edfAug. 10,l 1869.

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Letters Patent No. 93,639, dated Aagust 10, 1869.'

IMPROVED ELAS'IC `TRACE-GONNECTION.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame. m

To all persons to whom these presents may come:

Be it known that I, HUGH Quirra, of Charlestown, of the county ofMiddlesex, and State of Alidassachusetts, have invented an improvedElastic Trace-Gonnection; and do hereby'declare the same to be fullydescribed in the followingspecification and represented in theaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is' a top view;

Figure 2, a front elevation;

Figure 3, a horizontal section; and

Figure 4, a vertical and transverse sectionpof it.

4The body A of the connection is a cylindrical case or box, providedwith a screw shank, a, extended down from its bottom, the said shanklbeing for the purpose of fixing the body tothe cross-ba-r of a paix` ofthills, a nut, b, screwed on' the shank, being employed in the fixationof the shank to the said cross-bar.

'.lhere is a slot, c, made through the front side of the box,andparallel with its bottom, and there is also'within the box, andextended radially from its inner circumference, an abutment; d.

Arranged centrally within the box is a pin, e, which may be acontinuation of the shank.

1t serves as a pivot for 'an arm, B, which extends through the slot e,and is provided with a button, or knob, j, on which the end of a traceis to be buttoned or hitched when the trace-connection may be in use.

A helical spring, C, arranged within the box in manner as represented inthe drawings, bears at one end against the abutment, and at the otheragainst, or is thereabouts fixed, to the arm.

l `urther1nore, there is also fixed to the arm, and so as to extendfromit and between the spring and the inner 'circumference of 4the box, acurved plate or spring guard D. This plate, by moving with the arm andthe spring, prevents the spring,- while contracting, from jammingagainst the inner circumference of the box, or being worn through orinjured by contact there- With, as it would be soon likelyto be duringuse of the trace-connection.

The guard-D also serves as a cover to the aperture, or slot c, while thearm may be in movement as the guard is to extend in both directionsfro-In the arm, in manner as represented.

.ceive suchtenon.

The guard thus answers to keep'mud or dust or foreign 'matters fromgoing through theslot and into the box when such would be likely toimpede the action of the spring or he otherwise injurious.

The lower part of the box A is provided with a prismatietenon, h., andalso with a disk, or plate, E, made with a socket, fir.. correspondingwith and to re- This disk, or socketed plate is to be screwed on thecross-bar of the thills, and is to aid n in supporting thetrace-connection and preventing it I am aware. that anelastictrace-connection is not new, or, in other words, that the application ofa spring to the shafts and trace or breast-band of la harness, so as tointervene between the shafts and the trace or breastband, in order torelieve the carriage and horse from the effects of sudden forwardmovements of the latter, is old. Therefore, I make vno claim to such, inthe abstract.

What I claim as my invention or improvement is as follows, viz:

The arrangement of the box A, abutment d, pivot e, helical spring C, andthe movable arm B, provided with the trace-button, as explained.

Also, the combination and arrangement of the spring guard D with theradial arm B, the helical spring C, the abutment d, and the box A, andthe slot c thereof, the whole being` substantially' as and. for thcpurpose speciiied. HUGH QUINN.

Witnesses 1t. H. EDDY, S. N. PIPER.V

